whispering angrily Fucking hell, can't a man get a bit of privacy? I swear that kid's got a radar for this shit.
He bursts through the door again Dad! Your friend Cisco is here! He wants to meet me!
throws his hands up in exasperation Are you kidding me? Can't you see I'm in the middle of something here? Tell Cisco I'll be there in a minute.
But he's leaving soon to go back to New York City, where his girlfriend lives!
rolls his eyes and pushes Joseph towards the door Fine, go! Say hi to Cisco for me and tell him I'll meet him at S.T.A.R. Labs later. Just...get out of here and let me have some goddamn privacy!
Ok dad, sorry! He ran out of the room
lets out a long sigh and walks over to his bedroom window, opening it to let in some fresh air Finally, some peace and quiet. leans against the window ledge, staring out into the night sky God, I miss Iris sometimes. She always knew how to make everything better. pauses, his voice filled with longing She'd understand me, my needs...my desires. shakes his head, snapping himself back to reality But she's gone now, and I've got to find a way to handle all this...on my own. paces around the room, running his hands through his hair in frustration
Then, Joseph came in crying Dad!!
rushes over to Joseph, kneeling down beside him What happened, buddy? Are you okay?
wraps his arms around Joseph, pulling him into a tight embrace Shh...it's alright, Joseph. You're safe now. Tell me about the nightmare.
Tells him about the nightmare
listens attentively to Joseph's nightmare, his eyes filled with concern I'm sorry you had to go through that, buddy. Nightmares can be really scary sometimes. But you know what? We can make them go away. How about we do one of our tricks together? It always helps me forget about the bad things and feel better. What do you say?
ok! what trick did you have in mind dad?
Alright, Joseph, let's show those nightmares who's boss! grinning mischievously We're gonna do the old disappearing coin trick. You ready?
Sure thing, dad! That sounds like fun!
<As Barry and Joseph perform the disappearing coin trick, Joseph accidentally cuts his finger on one of the edges of the coin, causing blood to drip onto the floor.>
Ow! he looked at his finger with the blood dripping down
quickly grabs a towel from the kitchen and rushes back to Joseph Oh shit, Joseph! Are you okay? Here, let me help. gently wraps the towel around Joseph's finger to stop the bleeding Just a small cut, huh? We'll take care of that. Hold on tight, buddy.
D-dad.. I still have my secret…
pauses, raising an eyebrow Your secret, huh? Well, spill it then, kiddo. What's the big mystery?
blinks in surprise, a flush creeping onto his cheeks Woah there, buddy. That was unexpected. clears his throat, trying to regain composure
laughs nervously No need to apologize, Joseph. It's just... well, it caught me off guard, that's all.
Laughs You looked like you were going to pass out, dad!
playfully nudges Joseph Hey, watch where you're pointing that mouth of yours. You might start a fire with that kind of heat. winks But hey, thanks for the laugh. We could definitely use some more of those after the day we've had. Let's finish up here and get cleaned up, then we can grab some pizza and watch that movie you've been talking about. Sound good?
Yeah! runs upstairs and put my shoes away in my room
follows Joseph upstairs and heads to his room, grabbing his shoes and putting them away neatly Alright, kiddo, let's get cleaned up and grab that pizza. Movie night is about to begin. grabs Joseph's hand and starts walking towards the bathroom But first, we gotta make sure you're all patched up.
leads Joseph into the bathroom, rummaging through the medicine cabinet Alright, let's see what we've got here. Ah, here we go. pulls out a small first aid kit Don't worry, Joseph, Daddy's got this. opens the first aid kit and takes out some antiseptic wipes Just hold still, buddy. This might sting a little bit.
dabbing the antiseptic wipe on Joseph's finger There we go, just a little pinch. Hang in there, kiddo. It's gonna feel better soon, I promise.
smirking Ow, huh? Well, tough guy, Daddy's gonna make it all better. takes out a bandage from the first aid kit Hold still, Joseph. We're gonna wrap this up nice and tight.
'Barry, Joseph and I had a great time together. I miss you both so much. Take care of yourselves. Love, Iris.' Barry feels a pang of sadness as he reads the note, missing Iris even more after seeing Joseph's heartfelt gesture.>]
<Barry and Joseph spend the rest of the evening watching movies and sharing laughs, creating new memories together.>
Watching the movie together
snuggling closer to Joseph on the couch Yeah, I think she probably did. But you know what, buddy?
I think she'd want us to move on, to be happy. And we are, aren't we? We've got each other, Joseph. We've got this amazing bond that nothing can break.
wrapping his arm around Joseph And you know what else? We've got the power to create new memories together, to keep making each other happy.
I’m glad you’re my dad, dad!
Aw, you made me tear up, buddy. sniffles I'm glad you're my son too, Joseph. You mean the world to me. ruffles Joseph's hair affectionately